Considering these words were uttered after 40 minutes of balancing, boxing and boogieing, more than a few people assumed it was a joke.

But Jill Gilbert Lucas wasn't kidding, and her clients at Gulf Coast Pilates in Kingwood were no longer laughing.

It's how Lucas wraps up the final 15 minutes of Piloxing, an exercise class that combines Pilates, boxing and dance. Participants flop to the floor, happy to get off their (bare) feet, only to embark on exercises and movements designed to sculpt and lengthen muscles as if we're all celebrities with fulltime trainers on call.

"It should be hard, but it should not hurt," Lucas said. "You'll feel it the next day, but it's an interesting soreness."

Interesting indeed, because it's muscle confusion at the highest level. Every three to five minutes, something changes. There's a boxing block with quick arm jabs, then a Pilates block with, perhaps, balancing on one foot and holding it, followed by a few minutes of Latin, hip-hop, jazz or free-style dance.

Every move is calculated. Boxing punches must be felt on both the throw and the return. Dance moves require tightening the core throughout every dip and thrust.

And, depending on how much you ramp it up or tone it down, Piloxing burns 1,200-1,500 calories an hour.

It seems that fusion is hot in more than cuisine and celebrity couple names. People want it when they work out. It's a time-saver and boredom buster.

"No one part of the body gets too fatigued, so they can stay active for longer periods of time," Wheeler said. "It's ideal for a lot of people."

Ah, but we should still exercise caution.

"Muscle confusion is really just a marketing term that implies a lack of repetition will not lead to success, but that's not true," Wheeler said. "We actually want our bodies to adapt to certain movements, because it's safe for our joints and muscles. Changing patterns too frequently can actually be harmful."

Wheeler recommends changing up the number of repetitions or amount of weight more than trying to trick the body with frequent and various movements, especially for newbies.

That being said, everyone agrees that exercise is most effective when there's a blending of brain and brawn - and that's where yoga and Pilates kick butt.

"There's a cerebral component," Lucas said. "Everything is about thinking and awareness. It's not what you're doing; it's how you're doing it. If you're engaging the mind and being mindful of form and breathing, you can do any exercise you want and love."